User:Keithamus
Contents
Setup
I currently have a single system setup, a front/back end, for SD/HD use.
Pundit-pvr
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http://image.ebuyer.com/UK/P0133754_C0000103_P0000000.jpg |
Why I chose this system
- The whole system was very cheap, around £200 ($400).
- It has quite a small footprint, although much bigger than a set-top-box, it is no way as big as a desktop case.
- It looks quite stylish, which is always good for the WAF
- It'll run HD content.
Problems
- The Pundit P3 is a low profile system, as such, you'll need low profile cards. The Nova T 500 is not a low profile card, so you'll have to remove the PCI plate, and have the card lose in the slot (this is not desirable, as the card can easily become de-seated!)
- I have not yet tested the media card reader, attached to the system. But according to my experience with media card readers and Ubuntu, it probably doesn't work!
- The system isn't as quiet as I'd like - the stock cooler is quite whiny, and the stock case fan (attached with only 1 screw!) is very loud. Getting a good Scythe fan or two would definitely be recommended.
- So far Mythbuntu isn't working very well - lots of teething problems, crashes, and general annoyances. Soon to try reinstalling to the non-beta version.
Real world figures
In terms of crunching power, wattage and temperatures, this system really can't be complained about;
- I've been able to record 2 channels and watch HD content with NO lag. Even with integrated graphics.
- 500GB is a hefty size for storing data. It'll easily store more content than you're likely to watch.
- 1024mb seems to be just enough. I would consider upgrading this if you have a bit more spare cash.
- Because its a relatively "slow" core 2 duo, its cold to the touch - with the stock cooler
Notes on getting Mythbuntu working properly
A good partition setup is as follows:
- 20gb / ext3
- 1GB SWAP (make this the same as the installed memory for easy sleep/hibernation)
- Rest as /var/lib/ xfs
I would recommend setting the noatime and nodiratime options to your drives, for less intensive harddisk access. To do this, go to your /etc/fstab which may look like this, for example:
# /dev/sda1 UUID=6e039164-c59f-49f1-9b96-e658a24aac2d / ext3 errors=remount-ro 0 1 # /dev/sda3 UUID=d8af15ba-f63e-465d-848e-9c8d3d020e4a /var/lib xfs relatime 0 2 # /dev/sda2 UUID=07a339be-0944-4a04-a71a-9b1e173cbb6e none swap sw 0 0 /dev/scd0 /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto,exec,utf8 0 0
Change this file to look more like this:
# /dev/sda1 UUID=6e039164-c59f-49f1-9b96-e658a24aac2d / ext3 noatime,errors=remount-ro 0 1 # /dev/sda3 UUID=d8af15ba-f63e-465d-848e-9c8d3d020e4a /var/lib xfs noatime,nodiratime,logbufs=8 0 2 # /dev/sda2 UUID=07a339be-0944-4a04-a71a-9b1e173cbb6e none swap sw 0 0 /dev/scd0 /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto,exec,utf8 0 0
Mythbuntu uses the incorrect lircrc for the Hauppauge remote, you should copy and paste the one from the Hauppauge WinTV Nova-T 500 PCI page. Save this as ~/.lircrc and make links from this to ~/.mythtv/lircrc and ~/.lircrc/mythtv
In the terminal, setup your channels using tv_grab_uk_rt --configure first, then hopefully, when scanning for channels in mythbackend-setup, the channels will latch onto your xml.
If using wireless, install WICD!, this will enable mythbuntu to silently connect to your wireless network, without nagging you for keyrings, or d/cing after a sleep. To do this; add
#WICD, Wireless network manager deb http://apt.wicd.net hardy extras
to your /etc/apt/sources.list file.
Also perhaps add wine, depending on how you use the machine:
# Wine deb http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt gutsy main deb-src http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt gutsy main
It would be a good idea to get mythbuntu to repair the tables on reboot. Having to manually repair the tables when the box crashes is annoying, so why not automate. Add this to your system startup, whichever way you prefer:
mysqlcheck -umythtv -pPASSWORD --auto-repair mythconverg
